The 8 best-dressed men of the week

Bar of the week: Clean Air Bar with Ketel One vodka

Every week, we scour the city to find the best bars our capital has to offer. Whether you're a cocktail kind of guy, or a man who enjoys a decent draft beer, there's a GQ-worthy drinking spot to suit every taste.

The 8 best-dressed men of the week

Bar of the week: Clean Air Bar with Ketel One vodka

Every week, we scour the city to find the best bars our capital has to offer. Whether you're a cocktail kind of guy, or a man who enjoys a decent draft beer, there's a GQ-worthy drinking spot to suit every taste.

Dear GQ Doc, You must break bad news all the time to people. What’s the best way to do it? Sam, via email

Bad news invariably finds its way to all our doorsteps. It might be that you’re getting dumped, fired, told you have cancer, being sued or that your GQsubscription has expired. Irrespective, the content of your bad news is fixed, intangible, a fait accompli. Yet if you’re on the other side you have absolute power over how you deliver that bad news. And as a doctor I have my sizable share of delivering bad news, whether that’s informing families of a death, telling someone that they have cancer or suggesting to someone that they’re a victim of domestic violence.

And to deliver bad news like this, I – and many other doctors – use a six-step framework called SPIKES. Serving as an aid memoir for when the fog of panic lands on you, its framework will help you to get your message across in the cleanest way possible - and minimise any collateral damage...

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Step 1: Scene setting

A private environment with plenty of allocated time is essential to doing this smoothly. You might also want to invite a colleague or friend to join them if you think they’re really going to struggle. Try to keep an even tone and maintain eye contact. Basically, don’t make them nervous.

Step 2: Perception established

Before you pull the rug from underneath them, gauge how they feel things are going and if they have any worries. This will help you understand their perspective and hence where the starting point of your delivery should be.

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Step 3: Invite knowledge

This is the turning point from a passive to an active discussion, as you ask them whether they would like you to tell them what you are thinking.

Step 4: Knowledge delivered

Now is the time to fire a warning shot, like, “Unfortunately, I’ve got some bad news.” Next, give it a moment to let the tracer round that’s just zipped over their head to be digested. Finally, you - walking the tightrope between being clear and concise but not too blunt - break the bad news.

Step 5: Empathy shown

This isn’t the time to leave. Now you wait to navigate the hardest part of the process: how they react. Although emotions may range from anger to meltdowns, many times first you’ll be met with nothing. Silence. We hate silence and all feel the desperate need to pack it to the rafters with noise. Don’t. Instead just let it be.

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Step 6: Strategise and summarise

To bring closure to the bad news you need to do two things. First, understand if they understand what you’ve told them (and thus, you may need to summarise). Second, make a plan going forward so that they have a framework to guide them – even if it is, “I want you out by the weekend.”

Delivering bad news is a shitty business. Irrespective of the context, before you do it step into the recipient’s shoes for a moment and think how you’d feel. Knowing that, then execute it right.

Dr Nick Knight is a GP registrar with a special interest in sports, exercise and lifestyle medicine. Follow him on Twitter (@DrNickKnight) and Instagram (DoctorNickKnight)